1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a magnetic card reader equipped with a head reversing function utilized in the technical field of various kinds of devices and equipments which use a magnetic card, such as automatic fee adjustment device and automatic cash dispenser, and more particularly to a magnetic card reader equipped with a head reversing function, which is capable of reading and writing without any trouble even if a magnetic card is inserted in a wrong way with reference to upper and lower sides thereof or with reference to front and rear sides thereof.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
A general magnetic card used for various kinds of devices and instruments is formed on the right-hand side relative to an inserting direction with a magnetic stripe, so that when the magnetic card is inserted into an insertion slot of a card reader in accordance with an arrow which is marked on the upper surface of the magnetic card, a transport device transports this magnetic card along a card transport passageway. During the transportation, a magnetic head disposed on the right-hand side of the upper surface of the card transport passageway contacts the magnetic stripe in order to read and write magnetic information.
Accordingly, since the magnetic head cannot read and write the magnetic information unless the magnetic card is correctly inserted into the insertion slot in accordance with the arrow, etc., the magnetic card is rejected when it is inserted in a wrong way with respect to upper and lower sides thereof. At that time, a warning is issued by means of, for example, lamp, voice, etc. indicating a request for reinsertion of the magnetic card in its correct attitude.
However, it frequently occurs that a magnetic card is inserted in the wrong way particularly when it is too dark to recognize a correct way of insertion of the magnetic card or when the magnetic card must be inserted in a hurry by one reason or others. If it is required to reinsert the magnetic card by changing its inserting direction (from the rear side first to the front side first) and/or by correcting its side (from the lower surface up to the upper surface up) every time such wrong insertion occurs, it is indeed very time consuming and troublesome for those who use such magnetic cards. Therefore, it has been demanded a development of a magnetic card in which magnetic information can be correctly read and written irrespective of the inserting attitude (the insertion slot is designed to be wide in dimension when a magnetic card is to be inserted in a horizontal posture) of the magnetic card, i.e., whether the magnetic card is inserted from its front end first or not, or whether the card is inserted with its front surface up or not.
In view of the above situation, the applicant of the present invention has developed a magnetic card reader, as disclosed in the prior Japanese Patent Application No. Sho 63-324554, wherein four magnetic sensors adapted to judge whether a magnetic card is inserted with its front surface (upper surface) up or not, are mounted on both sides of the upper and lower surfaces of a card insertion slot, a card transport passageway for transporting a magnetic card inserted into the insertion slot being provided on both sides thereof each with a reversing board which can be reversed by a motor so that when a position of a magnetic head mounted on the reversing boards is not coincident with a position of the magnetic stripe of the inserted magnetic card, the reversing boards are reversed by the motor so that the magnetic head can correctly read and write magnetic information with respect to the magnetic stripe.
However, since the above-mentioned magnetic card reader is designed such that the magnetic head is mounted on the reversing board so as to be reversed, a front end opening of a card guide is required to be situated away from the mounting position of the magnetic head so that it would not interfere the reverse rotation of the magnetic head. Because of the foregoing reason, a gap between the card guide and the magnetic head is widened with the results that when a magnetic card in use is thin or bent, it tends to enter into this gap during its transportation. As a result, there occurs inferior read/write, or card clogging, or breakage of a magnetic card.
In addition, in the above-mentioned magnetic card reader, since the magnetic head is such designed as able to be reversed, the magnetic head is required to be fixed to the reversing board in order to maintain a gap or distance between a roller receiving the magnetic head and the magnetic head itself constant in dimension, in other words, in order to obtain a predetermined dimension of the insertion space for the magnetic card, so that read/write can be performed correctly. Since this design is unable to cope with a change in width of the magnetic card, it gives rise to such problem that only a magnetic card having a predetermined thickness is usable.
Moreover, in the above-mentioned magnetic card reader, a stop position of the reversing rotation of the magnetic head is achieved by means of braking function of the motor which rotates the reversing board. This gives rise to another problem that because of play caused by backlash of gears for transmitting rotation of the motor, rotational clearance, etc., the magnetic head is difficult to be always stopped in a predetermined position.